Pvt airlines get time on congestion charge withdrawal

New Delhi: Private airlines have been given time till tomorrow to respond to the government directive to withdraw the congestion surcharge of Rs 150 per passenger imposed by them.
While all private carriers have imposed the surcharge for the past few weeks, state-owned airline Indian has not.
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Congestion fee goes but
fares stay put
The surcharge is likely to be withdrawn
from April 1, 2007. Industry sources
said though companies will withdraw
the ‘congestion surcharge’, the move
would not reduce fares the surcharge
would add it to the basic fare. Airlines are
free to charge fares as per their judgment
after the government ceded control by
repealing the Air Corporation Act in 1994.
Patel told the Rajya Sabha that private
scheduled airlines were charging air
congestion surcharge on their entire network,
even though the congestion problem was
restricted to the Delhi, Mumbai and
Bangalore airports. But industry sources
said airlines were charging it across their
networks because delays at the three
airports had a ripple effect on schedules
at other airports.
21/03/07 Financial Express
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The private carriers have been asked to respond by tomorrow to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation`s directive to withdraw the surcharge, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said today during question hour in Rajya Sabha.
Asked whether the private airlines were demanding the surcharge on sectors where there was no air traffic congestion, Patel said these carriers had imposed the surcharge "on their entire network".
20/03/07 Zee News

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Categories: Airports Mar 2007, General Aviation Mar 2007